The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Kano

  • Northern CAN accuses Kano Judge of bias over blasphemy case

    The Christian Association of Nigeria, (CAN) in the 19 Northern States and Abuja has expressed its reservations over the recent judgment on the five suspects who were discharged over the killing of one Mrs. Bridget Agbahime in Kano State for allegedly blasphemy.
    The apex Christian association however called on the Attorney General of the Federation to urgently call the Kano State Attorney General to order to ensure that justice was seen to be done in the case.
    The association’s public relations Officer, Rev. John Joseph Hayab, while speaking to newsmen in Kaduna said the judgment has further brought the judiciary into serious attack, stressing that more needs to be done to ensure the judiciary discharge its duty credibly.
    Hayab lamented that after all facts presented against the suspects, there was no justification for the Kano State Attorney General through the Principal State Counsel, Mr. Rabiu Yusuf to have told the court that they had no case to answer

    “Having gone through the case diary, the Attorney General of Kano State evaluated the facts in accordance with Section 130 and 150 of the Criminal Procedure Code, presented the legal advice.
    “The legal advice presented to the court dated June 24, states that there is no case to answer as the suspects are all innocent.
    “This action can only encourage people to take laws into their hands since evil is seen to be unpunished and many other groups will be tempted to harm or kill inocent citizens under any and every false guise since they can buy their freedom from the courts,” he stressed.
    Rev. Hayab however assured that CAN would not relent in spite of the judgement already passed, but until justice is seen to have been done.
    He enjoined Christians and the general public to remain calm assuring that all avenues would be explored to ensure that justice is done.
    The five suspects are Zubairu Abubakar, Musa Abdullahi, Dauda Ahmed, Abdullahi Abubakar and Abdulmumeen Mustapha.
    It would be recalled that the 74 year-old, Mrs. Bridget Agbahime, an Imo indigene was murdered on June 2, 2016 in Kofar Wambai Market in the state over alleged blasphemy.

  • Kano’s scarlet politics

    Red is generally believed to signify danger. It also symbolises life, bravery and courage, but its grim, scarlet elements often overshadow this great colour of blood. Over the ages red has come to be associated with revolution – the Red Brigade, the Red Army, the Red Revolution, the Red Devils, etc. have all been accepted as something ominously radical, is not sinister and anarchical.

    People over climes and times have deployed red to suit all sorts of fancies. But perish the thought, Hardball is not about joining any red army, declaring a red-letter day or becoming Softball. No such thing. Hardball interrogates the brewing (red) schism in Nigeria’s own red group – the Kwankwasiyya movement in kano, that ancient northern city of Nigeria.

    For some context: Kwankwasiyya is the brain child of the immediate past governor of Kano State, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso. He must be among few such men in Nigeria who returned after an interregnum to serve a second term of four years as a governor.

    It was during his second term in office as governor of the large rambling state of Kano that Kwankwaso put in the performance of his life and conceived Kwankwasiyya. Its major outward symbol is the red cap.

    In his heyday as the ruler of the land, you would fail to put  on a shade of red cap at your peril. And you wouldn’t dare not to wear a red cap if you were in his cabinet or party. On such days like Friday, one was wont to see a sea of red ‘heads’ in certain quarters of Kano metropolis.

    Like religion, a ‘good’ movement is equally some sort of opium for the hoi polloi who would do crazy things when worked up. Such was it that some took the red thing to the rooftops. And that is not metaphorically speaking – not a few roofs were painted red with Kwankwasiyya emblazoned on them. Could this fervid fanaticism and unalloyed loyalty perchance be hunger-induced or is it born out of true fervour for the principles and philosophy of Kwankwasiyya and its founder?

    Since Kwankwaso left office last year, his protégé, the current Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has not stopped donning his own shade of red cap in solidarity with the spirit of Kwankwasiyya. But it seems like Ganduje may be stripped of that singular privilege of adorning his guber head with a red cap.

    Of course it is an open secret that the grounds have shifted between Ganduje and his former boss, Kwankwaso. As our elders opined, two deities don’t cohabit in one grove. Last week Kwankwasiyya hardliners gave Gov. Ganduje  a 48-hour ultimatum to quit donning red caps or face litigation.

    Not to be out-done or brow-beaten, Gov. Ganduje has also threatened to constitute a commission of enquiry to probe the administration of former Gov. Kwankwaso.

    Loading… the grim, red cap politics of an ancient city. Updates to follow.

  • Hostility: KAROTA, motorists clash in Kano

    National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Kano chapter on Friday staged a protest at Nai’bawa on Zaria road, Kano, as well as other parts of the metropolitan city over what they described as a hostile policy of Kano Road Traffic Agency (KAROTA).

    Among others, the irate bus Drivers accused KAROTA officials of incessant arrest, extortion and intimidation, following a directive, compelling all commercial bus drivers to compulsively paint their commercial vehicles, with the colour approved by the State Government.

    Already, the situation has degenerated to rampant clashes, which consequently lead to a daily arrest of defaulters, with the imposition of the subsequent payment of N10, 000 fine.

    To this end, the Commercial bus drivers appealed to the KAROTA officials for more time for them to liaise with their vehicle owners before complying with the directive.

    When our Correspondent visited the scene of the protest, it was observed that the Police have already arrested some of the protesters, while many passengers became stranded, as most of the commercial bus drivers temporarily suspended services.

    Consequently, business and commercial activities have been paralysed in the metropolis, thereby forcing commuters to walk long distances to their various destinations.

    In reaction to the development, the KAROTA Managing Director, Mohammed Abdulhadi Zarewa, said it was part of the provision of the law that all commercial drivers must paint their vehicles, hence what informed their action.

    However, he promised that the Agency would meet with the Executive members of the NURTW to resolve the issue amicably.
  • IGR: Kano warns FRSC officers over fake drivers’ license

    IGR: Kano warns FRSC officers over fake drivers’ license

    Kano State Government on Wednesday warned some Officers of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) to desist from issuing fake drivers’ license to motorists so as not to sabotage the efforts of the state government to improve its Internally Generated Revenue (IGR).
    Chairman of the Kano State Board of Internally Generated Revenue (IGR), Sani Abdulkadir Dambo, who gave the warning at a press briefing, said the security agents have been instructed to henceforth fish out those who issued the fake drivers’ license to motorists, so as to prosecute them.
    Dambo also noted that though it is legally acceptable for Nigerians to purchase plate numbers from any state of their choice across the country, the state government will start clamping down on those motorists who are patronising fake plate numbers from neighbouring states such as Kaduna, Jigawa and Katsina at a cheaper rate. 
    The Chairman, who debunked the rumours making the rounds among tricycle drivers that the government is collecting almost N500 daily tax from them, said the state government will soon launch a unified tax system where motorists are expected to pay just N100 daily to discourage multiple taxation. 
    He advised drivers to always purchase their plate numbers and licenses as well as other IGR payments in their respective Local Government Councils, saying that the performance of each LGA on IGR will determine the sharing method of allocation for developmental projects in their localities.
  • Pre-registration: NCC arrests six, confiscates hundreds of SIM cards

    Pre-registration: NCC arrests six, confiscates hundreds of SIM cards

    The Nigeria Communications Commission, (NCC), on Monday arrested six men in Kano for being in possession and sale of hundreds of pre-registered SIM cards which had been banned by the agency since 2O11.
    The suspects were arrested in two separate raids carried out by the NCC operation unit backed by security operatives in the GSM village located at Farm Centre and the Yankura market in the Kano State metropolis.
    Head of the NCC operation unit, Mallam Salisu Abdul said the operation became imperative following the rampant sales of pre-registered SIM cards in Kano by unregistered individuals.
    He described the sales of pre-registered Sim cards as a criminal offence, adding that “the commission will continue to raid markets across the country until we are able to stop such nefarious activities.”
    Abdul blamed the various agents of service providers who sell or give out a large quantity of such pre-registered SIM cards to individual to unsuspected prospective buyers without proper registration.
    He noted that with the high rate of Kidnapping and other criminal activities are usually carried out with this pre-registered SIMs without proper control by those agents who gave them out in large quantity to these unlicensed individuals for sale to innocent people.
    According to him, the six suspects arrested will be handed over to the police for proper investigation and eventual prosecution and in addition authenticated the sources of the SIM cards.
    He added that similar operations are being carried out in Lagos, Abuja, Minna and now Kano, stressing that the raid will be a continuous one.
    “Today, we have carried out a raid, at the end of which we arrested six suspects in connection with the sale of pre-registered sim card. It is a criminal offence to sell pre-registered sim card. The NCC had issued a directive since 2011 that all sim cards must be personally registered.
    “However, you can go to the market now, buy as many sim cards as possible if you want, put it on your phone without personally registering the sim card and carry out some telecom activities.
    “We are in Kano, we have done a lot of exercises, ranging from Abuja, in Minna and many parts of the country. The exercise is going to be continuous until when you cannot see any pre-registered sim card on the streets.
    “Like I earlier said it is a criminal offence to sell pre-registered sim card. We will hand over the six suspects arrested to the Nigeria Police to enable the law enforcement agents, carry out a proper investigation and whoever is found guilty would be prosecuted.
    “Our mission is to find out how the dealers were able to acquire the pre-registered sim cards. NCC had earlier issued a directive because when you register a sim card and fail to carry out any activity with the sim card within 48 hours, that sim card should be reverted to inactive but if you buy and register, that is proper registration. However, if you buy and register and decided not to make a call or conduct data activity with the sim card, that sim card should be reverted as inactive by the operator.
    “We don’t really know how they do it. Probably, they are breaking the sim card, put them in their phone, make calls and return back to, indeed, I do not know how they do it. That is the essence of the exercise. So far, we have recovered more than 100 sim cards.
    “We have bought one from each of the suspects, we have tested and confirmed that those sim cards are active and they are contrary to our regulation. Meanwhile, the Police would go ahead and investigate in respect of the remaining sim cards we have recovered to establish whether they are fully registered or not.
    “However, one sim card is enough and perhaps all these sim cards are used to commit crimes in this country. It is the same sim card they are using to kidnap people. You can fall victim of this atrocity,” he stated.

  • Kano opens summer camp for 10, 000 schoolgirls

    Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has launched the ‘School in Bag, Kano Summer Camp Academy’ for 10,648 girls in public schools.

    The initiative is geared towards encouraging girls’enrolment into schools in the state, the government said.

    Ganduje, who spoke during the launch of the programme, lamented that a significant number of girls had dropped out in the state.

    “The aim of this project is to address the challenges of gender imbalance, and transition from primary school to junior secondary school (JSS); and more importantly to support the process of improving our girls’ performance by creating a platform for additional coaching during vacation.

    “Under the programme, the girls will be coached and tutored on basic literacy, numeracy and social courses, in addition to being given bags containing two sets of uniform and assorted study materials, as a measure to enhancing their chances of successfully passing the transition exam and preparing them to confront the academic demands at the basic stage.”

    Ganduje continued: “It is evident that the survival rate of girls from primary One to Five was 73 per cent, whereas the dropout rate for girls when they reach Primary Six was 50 per cent as at last year. These indicators are a signal of low transition rate into JSS. Consequently, the annual school census of 2015/2016 confirmed that only 46 per cent of girls transited from primary school to JSS.”

    He noted that aside cultural factor, most of the challenges associated with the low transition and dropout rate are linked to education demand and supply problems, adding that his administration would continue to do its best to address the lacuna.

    Ganduje’s deputy, Prof. Hafiz Abubakar, hinted that the programme was being financed from hitherto idle funds under the DFID conditional cash transfer scheme for female students in the state.

    “Because of several incentives put in place by the Ganduje government and its development partners, the enrolment figure for girls in public schools is almost at par with that of boys,” said Abubakar who is also the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology.

    Abubakar added that the major challenge was to ensure that the girls that were admitted were retained in the schools until they complete secondary education.

    Representatives of DFID and ESSPIN, Malam Iliyasu Adamu and Fatima Aboki, praised the government’s sponsoring the academy which, according to them, would wrap up activities in Nigeria in January, next year.

    The Commissioner for Women Affairs, Hajiya ‘Yardada Maikano, represented by Hajiya Ladidi Sani Fagge, appealed to governments to increase the number of girls in science secondary schools to expand access of the girl-child to science education.

  • Kano, French Embassy float PG scholarship scheme

    Kano State government and the Embassy of France in Nigeria, have initiated a joint scholarship scheme to sponsor postgraduate training of 12 indigenes of the state in reputable French universities in the next three years.

    Under the arrangement, Kano government would provide accommodation, upkeep and travel expenses, while the French Embassy would take care of beneficiaries’ registration, tuition and health insurance, according to Deputy Governor Prof Hafiz Abubakar.

    The government, which disclosed this at a ceremony at the Kano Government House, said the government had settled its part of the deal for one year.

    Giving highlights of the programme, Abubakar explained that Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje ‘’decided that the offer should be dedicated to lecturers of the state tertiary institutions’’, adding that beneficiaries were drawn from Kano University of Technology, Northwest University and the state polytechnic.

    “The aim is to build the capacity of lecturers, and the initiative clearly demonstrates the Ganduje administration’s commitment towards promoting learning and attaining higher education levels for citizens of the state,” Abubakar said.

    Abubakar who is the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, said candidates were meticulously selected and interviewed by a committee of the French Embassy, which  sourced the universities that offered the admissions.

    Abubakar, described the scholarship as first of its kind in Kano and a demonstration of the cordiality between the government and French Embassy, charged beneficiaries to be good ambassadors by exhibiting excellence in character and learning.

    At the event, Abubakar presented 15 partial scholarships offered to indigenes of the state by Near East University, Cyprus, to study Engineering and Nursing at undergraduate, masters and doctorate levels.

    Under the deal, the university would provide tuition and Value Added Tax for each student, while the government would provide living and travelling expenses.

    Mr. Denys Gauer said:  “Nigeria and France have in recent times increased their level of political cooperation, with exchange visits by our presidents.”

    Gauer said while both countries were working to address the security challenges facing Nigeria, his country, through the French Development Agency, was determined to execute more projects for Nigerians.

     

  • Kano, French Embassy float PG scholarship scheme

    Kano State government and the Embassy of France in Nigeria, have initiated a joint scholarship scheme to sponsor postgraduate training of 12 indigenes of the state in reputable French universities in the next three years.

    Under the arrangement, Kano government would provide accommodation, upkeep and travel expenses, while the French Embassy would take care of beneficiaries’ registration, tuition and health insurance, according to Deputy Governor Prof Hafiz Abubakar.

    The government, which disclosed this at a ceremony at the Kano Government House, said the government had settled its part of the deal for one year.

    Giving highlights of the programme, Abubakar explained that Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje ‘’decided that the offer should be dedicated to lecturers of the state tertiary institutions’’, adding that beneficiaries were drawn from Kano University of Technology, Northwest University and the state polytechnic.

    “The aim is to build the capacity of lecturers, and the initiative clearly demonstrates the Ganduje administration’s commitment towards promoting learning and attaining higher education levels for citizens of the state,” Abubakar said.

    Abubakar who is the state Commissioner for Education, Science and Technology, said candidates were meticulously selected and interviewed by a committee of the French Embassy, which  sourced the universities that offered the admissions.

    Abubakar, described the scholarship as first of its kind in Kano and a demonstration of the cordiality between the government and French Embassy, charged beneficiaries to be good ambassadors by exhibiting excellence in character and learning.

    At the event, Abubakar presented 15 partial scholarships offered to indigenes of the state by Near East University, Cyprus, to study Engineering and Nursing at undergraduate, masters and doctorate levels.

    Under the deal, the university would provide tuition and Value Added Tax for each student, while the government would provide living and travelling expenses.

    Mr. Denys Gauer said:  “Nigeria and France have in recent times increased their level of political cooperation, with exchange visits by our presidents.”

    Gauer said while both countries were working to address the security challenges facing Nigeria, his country, through the French Development Agency, was determined to execute more projects for Nigerians.

     

  • Kano approves N48.5m for malaria control

    Kano State Executive Council has okayed N48.5m for the procurement of anti-malaria drugs, as well as malaria rapid diagnostic test kits, as part of efforts to respond to the scourge of malaria in the state.

    While briefing newsmen on the outcome of the State Executive Council Meeting, the State Commissioner for Information, Comrade Muhammad Garba, said that N10m was also approved for the procurement of chemicals for mosquitoes, vectors and rodents control at 52 boarding secondary schools spread across the state.

    “These initiatives are to further reinforce prevention and control measures put in place by the Government, to curb the scourge of malaria, which has so far affected numerous people, especially women and children in the state”, the commissioner alerted.

    In the same vein, Comrade Garba stated that the government has consented to the release of N19.15m for emergency Lassa fever preparedness response and control of other epidemic prone diseases in the state.

    Similarly, he disclosed that the State Executive Council Meeting has approved the release of N73.75m for the take-off of sponsorship for entrepreneurship development training, in respect of some Kano indigenes, being conducted by the North West zone of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN.

    The Commissioner also disclosed that N36.226m was approved for payment of compensation of property affected by the dualisation of Panshekara-Madobi Junction Road in the outskirts of Kano city.

    According to Comrade Garba, the SEC also approved the sum of N6.39m for the procurement of materials for erosion control, which has affected 46 graveyards within Kano metropolis.

  • Recover looted funds stashed in Middle East, Shehu Sani urges EFCC

    Human Rights activist and Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, Senator Shehu Sani has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to beam their searchlight on the  Middle East and Far East where he alleged some corrupt Nigerians stashed looted funds.

    The chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts spoke in Kano while on a Nigeria at 56 anniversary visit to Elder Statesmen, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai and Alhaji Yusuf Maitama Sule.

    According to him, “hundreds of billions of tax payers’ money have been stolen over the years and we have a duty to recover them, but it is very evidently clear that the idea of looted funds and the recovery from outside Nigeria seems to be beginning and ending with Abacha as if it is only Abacha that stole money and he is the only person whose money should be returned back to Nigeria.

    “I believe that we should go beyond that and check on how our own money was filtered away and taken to countries of the Middle East and also the Far East.”

    The radical politician further noted that, “it is disturbing that at this very critical moment of our country’s history, we have been faced with a series of economic challenges that clearly if not managed very well will lead us to self-destruction.

    “In the last four to five decades, we have been dependent on oil revenue and we have seen how over the years, the resources accrued from such revenue has not reflected or have not tallied with the level of social and economic development we have seen on the ground.

    “We have seen how a culture of waste and mismanagement over the years, how a culture of lack of saving has made it impossible for us to address some issues that are facing us as a country. It is a fact that Nigerians are suffering and the country that was seen to be very promising in Africa in the past is now lacking the capacity to stir the ship of our state and to lead other African states.

    “It is disgraceful that our political ruling elite over the years have not been able to save for the rainy day. It has reached a point today where by states can no longer pay salaries; they owe deeper and deeper into debt; and it also looks as if there is no clear plan on ground to exit ourselves from the problems we have found ourselves.

    “People like us with a background of activism are not (that) professional politicians. Our perceptions and views about issues are naturally different from those who are traditional politicians. But it is untenable for us to continue to give excuse to Nigerians.

    “We were elected into office to deliver, we were elected into office to take our people into the promise land, we were elected into office to give hope and to give succour, we were also elected into office to raise the social, economic and political profile of our country to the glory and to the pride of our people and also to the pride of the black race or Africa in general.

    “Nigeria is not the first country that has found itself in a very bad economic state, and it is most likely not going to be the last. There are people who think that Nigeria is dead and we should be on the receivership, but I don’t believe that Nigeria is for sale. Now, I have to say this very loudly, if the nation expects people to be patriotic, then it must be seen to be a nation for all of us.

    “I have said this continuously and I will continue to say it that a nation that robs Peter to pay Paul is most likely going to get patriotism from Paul rather than from Peter. Our people are suffering and how can we get out of this mess—however, we know that there can be light at the end of the tunnel.”